A Look Back At Dave Devine's 2019 Stories

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

There was a moment in time when Dave Devine was my boss. 

That was about a decade ago, when John Dye and agreed to let me contribute to what was then ESPNHS DyeStat. 

I already knew Dave from bumping into him at track meets, but at that point he became the guy showing me the ropes, how to log on to ESPN's content management system, and editing my copy. We briefly shared a workspace in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Portland. 

What I didn't know at the start was that I was being groomed to replace Dave, who wanted to make a transition in his career to something with a bit more stability and that would allow him to be at home with his family. 

I spent a year doing my best Dave Devine impression for DyeStat before ESPN pulled the plug on its high school platforms and our group was let go. 

But when the site and brand moved to RunnerSpace, and I eventually got involved with it again, I knew that a contribution from Dave would be a huge complement to our news coverage. His creative writing style, ability to strategize a large and complex story, ask all the right questions in interviews, and his deep understanding of the sport make him a valuable asset. 

Dave started up with DyeStat again in 2017 and his stories, spaced thoughout the year, have become our gold standard as we try to tell the best stories we can about the sports of track and field and cross country. 

In case you missed some of them, here are Dave's stories from 2019. 

A Match For Max - Dave's most recent story, just before Christmas, detailed the life-saving bone marrow donation made by a small-college football player in Ohio to a young runner named Max Lewis of suburban Chicago. Dave shines a light on the life-affirming spirit of Max and explains the enduring connection that exists between donor and recipient. 

Back To Balboa - It's not often that a high school male qualifies for four trips to San Diego and the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. So when asked to jump on a story about Graydon Morris, and previous four-time qualifer Jorge Torres, Dave jumped on it and fleshed out a slice of Foot Locker history.

Altitude and Elevation - Dave charted the rise of Abdihamid Nur at Northern Arizona after learning that the first-year Lumberjack shouted "Go Crazy!" at his teammates in the middle the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational. It was a chance to examine the team culture at NAU as well as Nur's path from Somalia to Phoenix to Flagstaff.

Remember The Names - The boys from El Paso Eastwood relished the chance to experience Nike Cross Nationals for the first time in 2018. And even though they finished last, the group brought some much-needed diversity to the field. The team was a longshot to return in 2019, but made it with an at-large selection.

Missing Marche - One year after the senseless death of Philadelphia sprinter Kristian Marche, Dave describes the void and the sorrow felt by a grieving community. But he also relates that Marche's memory will live on in those who loved him. 

The Maine Contender - Inspired by 1972 Olympian Dave Wottle, an unheralded freshman from the University of Maine named James Olivier became an improbable USATF U-20 800 meters champion. Olivier dropped his 800-meter time by an absurd 15 seconds in the span of a year. 

Such Great Heights - On the eve of the NCAA Championships, Dave described the busy life and challenges facing South Dakota student-athlete and young husband and father, Chris Nilsen. After the story was pusblished, Nilsen won an epic NCAA pole vault final, denying victory to LSU freshman phenom Mondo Duplantis with an electrifying upset. 

Flight Plan - One of the most riveting stories of the year came out of a tiny school in Washington, where Rosalie Fish used every moment of her platform as a successful runner to shine a light on the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.  

Here Come The Irish - Dave took an in-depth look at the NCAA Indoor Distance Medley Relay champions to produce a compelling snapshot of The Rookie, The Manager, The Transfer and The Goose as the quartet prepared to take their acto to the Penn Relays.

Running On Faith - Thanks to an interview conducted over Skype, Dave got a rare opportunity to interview a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints while in the midst of an overseas mission. Elder Clinger, that's two-time NXN champion and BYU standout Casey Clinger, discussed his work in Japan and what this period of time in his life, and his faith, means to him.

The Indelible Duel - Dave loves a good oral history of a watershed moment in the sport, captured on the annivesary. He took a deep dive into the 1999 Massachusetts indoor 2-mile state championship race between Andy Powell and Franklyn Sanchez. It was one of the races that ushered in a new era of elevated performance for high school distance running and is practically unforgettable by anyone who was there to witness it.